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Interview with Georgia and Alex Chronakis
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription20395
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1934-2023] (interview content), interviewed 8 Nov. 2023
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 sound recordings (wav) (41 min., 57 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (41 min., 57 sec.)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Georgia Chronakis and her son Alex Chronakis conducted by Burnaby Village Museum researcher James Binks on November 8, 2023. 00:00:00 - 00:08:39 Georgia and her son share biographical details about Georgia and her husband Louis Chronak…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- Subseries
- Many Voices Project Interviews subseries
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 sound recordings (wav) (41 min., 57 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (41 min., 57 sec.)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: James Binks Interviewees: Alex Chronakis and Georgia Chronakis Location of Interview: Fraser Wilson Room, Burnaby Village Museum Interview Date: November 8, 2023 Total Number of tracks: 1 Total Length of all Tracks: 41:57 Digital master recordings (wav) were converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Georgia Chronakis and her son Alex Chronakis conducted by Burnaby Village Museum researcher James Binks on November 8, 2023. 00:00:00 - 00:08:39 Georgia and her son share biographical details about Georgia and her husband Louis Chronakis, including their Greek background, migration to Canada, marriage, children, Louis’ career as a mechanic and gas station owner and owning restaurants in White Rock and Burnaby. 00:08:40 - 00:13:59 Georgia and her son Alex recall the great memories of owning and operating their restaurant Mionas Taverna and share details of their family life in Burnaby and White Rock. 00:14:00 - 00:19:15 Alex and Georgia talk about Louis Chronakis' work experience and how he became involved in the restaurant business. They share their experiences of operating Minoas Taverna including their opening in 1986. 00:19:16 - 00:36:59 Alex and Georgia describe some of the foods that were on the menu of Minoas Taverna, the design of the restaurant, the Minoan history that it’s based on, memories of running the restaurant and why they decided to close. 00:37:00 – 00:41:52 Alex talks about his involvement with Greek festivals in Vancouver and Alex and Georgia reflect on their life in the future now that the restaurant has closed.
- History
- Interviewees biographies: Georgia Giannias Chronakis was born in Selassia, Sparta, Greece in 1941 and when she was sixteen years of age she moved to Athens. In 1964 Georgia immigrated to Canada and lived in Montreal before moving to Vancouver a few years later. In 1966, while living in Vancouver, she met and married Ilias "Louis" Chronakis who was born in Crete, Greece. Soon after marrying, Georgia and Louis Chronakis bought a house located at 3823 Kingsway and welcomed their first child, Anna. Four years later, Georgia and Louis moved to White Rock but continued to own their house on Kingsway and rented it out. While living in White Rock, they had three more children named Virginia, Alex and Ellie. Louis was a trained mechanic working independently and for various companies including CP Air, BC Ferries and Esso before deciding to get into the restaurant business. He partnered with another businessman to open a Mr. Mike's franchise and later a cafe and Greek restaurant in White Rock. In 1986, Georgia, Louis and family moved back to Burnaby and moved into a house on Sandall Street and began converting their former home on Kingsway into a restaurant which they named Minoas Greek Taverna (Minoas Taverna). They opened the restaurant on May 1, 1986, just one day before Expo '86 was opened. In 2023, after 37 years of running their restaurant they sold their business but continued to own the land and building on Kingsway. Alex Chronakis is the son of Georgia and Louis Chronakis and was born in 1972. Alex has spent time working with his family running their restaurant and has been involved in the Greek Day Festival in Vancouver. Interviewer biography: James Binks has lived in the Lower Mainland since 2009 after relocating from Ontario. James holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of British Columbia, where he conducted researched on heritage, environment, and globalization in India, Nepal, and Italy. At Burnaby Village Museum, James contributed to the exhibit “Truths Not Often Told: Being South Asian in Burnaby”.
- Creator
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Subjects
- Foods
- Occupations
- Occupations - Entrepreneurs
- Occupations - Mechanics
- Buildings - Commercial - Restaurants
- Buildings - Commercial - Service Stations
- Migration
- Persons - Greek Canadians
- Geographic Access
- Kingsway
- Smith Avenue
- Street Address
- 3823 Kingsway
- Accession Code
- BV023.16.21
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1934-2023] (interview content), interviewed 8 Nov. 2023
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
- Transcription available
Documents
Audio Tracks
Interview with Georgia and Alex Chronakis, [1934-2023] (interview content), interviewed 8 Nov. 2023
Interview with Georgia and Alex Chronakis, [1934-2023] (interview content), interviewed 8 Nov. 2023
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0021_002.mp3![Pages from May Aikenhead scrapbook, [1930-1935] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2015/2015_0035_0168_all_pages.jpg?width=280)
Pages from May Aikenhead scrapbook
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription5245
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1930-1935]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Girl Guides fonds
- Description Level
- File
- Physical Description
- 1 file of textual records : 1 p. + 1 illustration : col. ; graphite and watercolour + 1 digital file : col. (pdf) + 10 photographs : col. (tiffs)
- Scope and Content
- File consists of pages from a scrapbook created by May Aitkenhead. Pages include an illustration of a Girl Guide in uniform done in pencil and watercolour along with two pages (double sided) of clippings from newspapers, magazines and a programme. The illustration page includes the name "Mabel McIn…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Girl Guides fonds
- Description Level
- File
- Physical Description
- 1 file of textual records : 1 p. + 1 illustration : col. ; graphite and watercolour + 1 digital file : col. (pdf) + 10 photographs : col. (tiffs)
- Scope and Content
- File consists of pages from a scrapbook created by May Aitkenhead. Pages include an illustration of a Girl Guide in uniform done in pencil and watercolour along with two pages (double sided) of clippings from newspapers, magazines and a programme. The illustration page includes the name "Mabel McIntyre / Cl. 16" handwritten in pencil at the top of the page along with a sticker of a wreath. The newspaper clippings page is titled "Guide News" and includes selected clippings about the 5th Burnaby Girl Guides, while two other pages include information titled "Patrol Portfolio Chart No. 9 _ Digging"; "The Aims of the Girl Guides" and "Girl Guiding" with photographic images of Mrs. Alan Morkill (Provincial Commissioner for British Columbia); Countess Bessborough (Honourary President of the Canadian Girl Guide Association); His Excellency Rt. Hon. the Earl of Bessborough (Governor General and Commander in Chief of the Dominion of Canada- Chief Scout of Canada) as well as Lady and Lord Baden Powell. The last page is clipped and pasted from a programme and/or poster "Grand Rally / Scouts / and / Guides / April 15th 1935 / Hastings Park / Vancouver BC" and includes a page of the programme.
- Creator
- Aitkenhead, May
- Names
- Girl Guides of Canada
- Accession Code
- BV015.35.168
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Date
- [1930-1935]
- Media Type
- Textual Record
- Graphic Material
- Notes
- Title based on contents of file
- Digital images were created of the scrapbook prior to selective retention of original records
- Selected pages were removed from original scrapbook and were retained under BV015.35.168
- Selected photographs were removed from scrapbook prior and are described at item level (BV015.35.292 to BV015.35.300)
Images
![Pages from May Aikenhead scrapbook, [1930-1935] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2015/2015_0035_0168_all_pages.jpg)